mudpies
01-15-2003, 12:09 AM
CHASING THE WAGON
Written by Ice - home forum - Fab 40's
-----------------------------------------------
So I'd been on Weight Watchers for about 10 months or so. I had had my ups
and downs, my off plan moments and even some off plan days. But I had lost
about 35 lbs or so, and was feeling pretty good! Certainly I felt better
than I had in years. As long as I did the main things - drank my water, used
my journal, ate all my fruits, veggies, and milk products, walked 5 days a
week - then I was successful.
But 10 months is a long time, and before I knew it, life crept up on me, and
I let go of my focus.
What is life ? It's all the things we all are going to have to learn to deal
with, and stay ON PLAN. Over the past 6 weeks, for me, life has meant
dealing with being a single parent much of the time, as my fabulous husband
has been traveling for work much more than usual. Life has meant all the
activities pressing on me at Christmas time, plus a heavier work load, plus
a wedding to attend out of state, plus building a new house, plus getting
ready to sell our current house - I could certainly go on and on, but you
get the picture.
For me, being on Weight Watchers, having a completely and totally OP day, is
like being "on the wagon". With my Boot Camp Buddies, I imagine myself
actually on a wagon, with all my buddies on the wagon with me. It's an
old-fashioned horse-drawn wagon, circa "Little House on the Prairie". Yep,
it's absolutely HUGE, because it holds ALL of the Fab 40 buddies! (Fab 40's
is my "home board", where I post nearly every day). We take turns driving
the wagon, 2 can fit on the front buckboard - me and Sal, Mardee and Bizz,
Lindalou and Becky, Trish and Cinna, Nancy and Karen, Jane and Marie, etc
etc. ALL of the Fab 40's Buddies are on the wagon with me, and we all take
turns driving.
Sometimes I'm riding in the back of the wagon, with all my Buddies, and I
peek out onto the side of the road. On the road I see things that were there
BEFORE BCB - things I ate with no restraint, and certainly with no regard to
their "point value" - cookies and brownies, donuts and candy bars,
thick-crust cheese pizza and breadsticks, quesadillas and tamales, fast food
"value meals", thick milk shakes with real whip cream. As long as the wagon
keeps moving, and I stay inside the wagon, then I am "on the wagon". I feel
especially empowered on the days when I am "driving" the wagon - I just
speed up those horses, and I fly right on by those tempting foods, without a
second glance. Those things can whiz on by, and I'm happy to share in the
huge basket we have in the middle of the wagon, filled with fresh fruit,
veggies, colorful salad fixin's and low-point dressings, grilled chicken or
fish, and homemade breads made with whole grains and low fat ingredients.
I've got my personal basket with me on the wagon too - it's got a variety of
Davinci's syrups, some seltzer water and fat free half-and-half for my
Italian Sodas, a big pot of Zero Point Vegetable Soup, some fresh steamed
veggies like broccoli or fresh beets or bok choy, a bottle of I Can't
Believe It's Not Butter spray, some Miss Meringue cookies, some fat free
Chocolate Pudding, some fat free Cool Whip, some whole wheat pastas and
whole grains, some chicken and fish fillets, and my George Foreman Grill.
And of course, I share everything in my personal basket with all my Buddies
that are with me "on the wagon"!
But somehow, over Christmas, I found myself looking out of the back of the
wagon to the items on the street more often than usual. And some days I was
not just looking - I actually jumped "off the wagon" a few times! Now, a few
times I did this and I counted the points, so I was able to enjoy bits of
those "street foods" and still say ON PLAN. That's the beauty of Weight
Watchers - with focus and intent, those foods CAN and SHOULD be enjoyed,
when they are PLANNED for. Unfortunately, as I let my focus slip, those
foods were consumed WITHOUT restraint, WITHOUT intent, and certainly WITHOUT
writing in my journal. Yep, this is truly the meaning of being "off the
wagon". And after a while, it was easier to just stay "off the wagon", and
fall back into old eating habits. And around the holidays, the "street food"
became more and more delectable, with homemade cookies and candies at every
turn in the road.
The more I did this, the harder it was to get back on the wagon. Oh, my BCB
friends were always there, hollering at me from the wagon - they would even
reach out and pull me back into the wagon, with boots and hugs as needed,
and they'd always have some 2 point goodie at the ready to satisfy my desire
for the "street food". But somehow, with all the responsibilities and
"things to get done" at Christmas time, plus the rest of life overwhelming
me - those old habits crept back in, and I could tell. I didn't feel as
healthy, and certainly I didn't feel as thin. Over the course of about 6
weeks I gained a few pounds back, maybe 4 or 5 pounds. Each gain made it
harder to get back "on the wagon". and I before I knew it, I found myself
CHASING THE WAGON !
So there I was, in the dirty street, with the wagon on the road ahead of me.
I'd get up in the morning, and there was the wagon, waiting for me, with my
BCB buddies beckoning me. Some mornings I'd hop right on and all seemed
right with the world, but not long into the stress-filled day I hopped right
back off again. By the end of the day, I'd had my fill of "street food", and
the wagon was far down the road. So the next day I would wake up, and again
I found myself chasing the wagon . And with each pound I gained, I found my
legs getting heavier and heavier. Chasing the wagon seemed to be a moot
point, why even try?
But the wagon never left my sight. My buddies never left me - even on the
days when I let the wagon get so far down the road it was merely a dot on
the horizon. There were times when my buddies would even STOP the wagon so I
would have a better chance to catch up.
Yes, I spent many days during the Christmas weeks chasing the wagon . and
I'm sorry to say that really does not earn any AP's! I finally became so
fatigued and so full of "street food" that I became sick - and I haven't
been sick since starting Weight Watchers - I'm sure it was the "street food"
that lowered my ability to fight infections, and I found myself with a
whopping case of bronchitis and sinusitis. That was a week ago, and after 7
days of major antibiotics and other medications, I'm finally feeling nearly
back to my old self. Being sick also gave me a chance to rethink my desire
to not only be ON the wagon, but to be DRIVING the wagon! I'll tell you
this, I never want to be chasing the wagon again!
Getting sick was a wake-up call. and luckily for me, my buddies were waiting
for me when my head cleared. I also never stopped going to my Weight Watcher
meetings, as I find the in-person support an absolute must for my continued
success!
So, where am I today? I'm firmly planted on the front buckboard, reigns in
hand, driving the wagon. When I first got up here I had to drive pretty fast
to avoid the "street foods". Now I'm not even looking at them. For breakfast
today I grabbed an apple from the "community basket" of point-friendly food,
cut it up and microwaved it, topped it off with a couple tablespoons of
Kashi cereal and a few squirts of Davinci's. (hey, it may be a wagon from
the 1800's, but you guessed it - there IS a microwave on board!) For lunch,
a couple of ounces of lean steak, a few tablespoons of risotto, and a big
serving of last night's green beans with sesame seeds. I don't know yet what
I'll be having for dinner, but you can be sure it won't be any of that dirty
street food!
If you are struggling, if you find you are chasing the wagon, please don't
give up, don't give in. We are all waiting for you on the wagon, there is
plenty of room! Grab the outstretched hand of a buddy and come along for the
fabulous ride!
Written by Ice - home forum - Fab 40's
-----------------------------------------------
So I'd been on Weight Watchers for about 10 months or so. I had had my ups
and downs, my off plan moments and even some off plan days. But I had lost
about 35 lbs or so, and was feeling pretty good! Certainly I felt better
than I had in years. As long as I did the main things - drank my water, used
my journal, ate all my fruits, veggies, and milk products, walked 5 days a
week - then I was successful.
But 10 months is a long time, and before I knew it, life crept up on me, and
I let go of my focus.
What is life ? It's all the things we all are going to have to learn to deal
with, and stay ON PLAN. Over the past 6 weeks, for me, life has meant
dealing with being a single parent much of the time, as my fabulous husband
has been traveling for work much more than usual. Life has meant all the
activities pressing on me at Christmas time, plus a heavier work load, plus
a wedding to attend out of state, plus building a new house, plus getting
ready to sell our current house - I could certainly go on and on, but you
get the picture.
For me, being on Weight Watchers, having a completely and totally OP day, is
like being "on the wagon". With my Boot Camp Buddies, I imagine myself
actually on a wagon, with all my buddies on the wagon with me. It's an
old-fashioned horse-drawn wagon, circa "Little House on the Prairie". Yep,
it's absolutely HUGE, because it holds ALL of the Fab 40 buddies! (Fab 40's
is my "home board", where I post nearly every day). We take turns driving
the wagon, 2 can fit on the front buckboard - me and Sal, Mardee and Bizz,
Lindalou and Becky, Trish and Cinna, Nancy and Karen, Jane and Marie, etc
etc. ALL of the Fab 40's Buddies are on the wagon with me, and we all take
turns driving.
Sometimes I'm riding in the back of the wagon, with all my Buddies, and I
peek out onto the side of the road. On the road I see things that were there
BEFORE BCB - things I ate with no restraint, and certainly with no regard to
their "point value" - cookies and brownies, donuts and candy bars,
thick-crust cheese pizza and breadsticks, quesadillas and tamales, fast food
"value meals", thick milk shakes with real whip cream. As long as the wagon
keeps moving, and I stay inside the wagon, then I am "on the wagon". I feel
especially empowered on the days when I am "driving" the wagon - I just
speed up those horses, and I fly right on by those tempting foods, without a
second glance. Those things can whiz on by, and I'm happy to share in the
huge basket we have in the middle of the wagon, filled with fresh fruit,
veggies, colorful salad fixin's and low-point dressings, grilled chicken or
fish, and homemade breads made with whole grains and low fat ingredients.
I've got my personal basket with me on the wagon too - it's got a variety of
Davinci's syrups, some seltzer water and fat free half-and-half for my
Italian Sodas, a big pot of Zero Point Vegetable Soup, some fresh steamed
veggies like broccoli or fresh beets or bok choy, a bottle of I Can't
Believe It's Not Butter spray, some Miss Meringue cookies, some fat free
Chocolate Pudding, some fat free Cool Whip, some whole wheat pastas and
whole grains, some chicken and fish fillets, and my George Foreman Grill.
And of course, I share everything in my personal basket with all my Buddies
that are with me "on the wagon"!
But somehow, over Christmas, I found myself looking out of the back of the
wagon to the items on the street more often than usual. And some days I was
not just looking - I actually jumped "off the wagon" a few times! Now, a few
times I did this and I counted the points, so I was able to enjoy bits of
those "street foods" and still say ON PLAN. That's the beauty of Weight
Watchers - with focus and intent, those foods CAN and SHOULD be enjoyed,
when they are PLANNED for. Unfortunately, as I let my focus slip, those
foods were consumed WITHOUT restraint, WITHOUT intent, and certainly WITHOUT
writing in my journal. Yep, this is truly the meaning of being "off the
wagon". And after a while, it was easier to just stay "off the wagon", and
fall back into old eating habits. And around the holidays, the "street food"
became more and more delectable, with homemade cookies and candies at every
turn in the road.
The more I did this, the harder it was to get back on the wagon. Oh, my BCB
friends were always there, hollering at me from the wagon - they would even
reach out and pull me back into the wagon, with boots and hugs as needed,
and they'd always have some 2 point goodie at the ready to satisfy my desire
for the "street food". But somehow, with all the responsibilities and
"things to get done" at Christmas time, plus the rest of life overwhelming
me - those old habits crept back in, and I could tell. I didn't feel as
healthy, and certainly I didn't feel as thin. Over the course of about 6
weeks I gained a few pounds back, maybe 4 or 5 pounds. Each gain made it
harder to get back "on the wagon". and I before I knew it, I found myself
CHASING THE WAGON !
So there I was, in the dirty street, with the wagon on the road ahead of me.
I'd get up in the morning, and there was the wagon, waiting for me, with my
BCB buddies beckoning me. Some mornings I'd hop right on and all seemed
right with the world, but not long into the stress-filled day I hopped right
back off again. By the end of the day, I'd had my fill of "street food", and
the wagon was far down the road. So the next day I would wake up, and again
I found myself chasing the wagon . And with each pound I gained, I found my
legs getting heavier and heavier. Chasing the wagon seemed to be a moot
point, why even try?
But the wagon never left my sight. My buddies never left me - even on the
days when I let the wagon get so far down the road it was merely a dot on
the horizon. There were times when my buddies would even STOP the wagon so I
would have a better chance to catch up.
Yes, I spent many days during the Christmas weeks chasing the wagon . and
I'm sorry to say that really does not earn any AP's! I finally became so
fatigued and so full of "street food" that I became sick - and I haven't
been sick since starting Weight Watchers - I'm sure it was the "street food"
that lowered my ability to fight infections, and I found myself with a
whopping case of bronchitis and sinusitis. That was a week ago, and after 7
days of major antibiotics and other medications, I'm finally feeling nearly
back to my old self. Being sick also gave me a chance to rethink my desire
to not only be ON the wagon, but to be DRIVING the wagon! I'll tell you
this, I never want to be chasing the wagon again!
Getting sick was a wake-up call. and luckily for me, my buddies were waiting
for me when my head cleared. I also never stopped going to my Weight Watcher
meetings, as I find the in-person support an absolute must for my continued
success!
So, where am I today? I'm firmly planted on the front buckboard, reigns in
hand, driving the wagon. When I first got up here I had to drive pretty fast
to avoid the "street foods". Now I'm not even looking at them. For breakfast
today I grabbed an apple from the "community basket" of point-friendly food,
cut it up and microwaved it, topped it off with a couple tablespoons of
Kashi cereal and a few squirts of Davinci's. (hey, it may be a wagon from
the 1800's, but you guessed it - there IS a microwave on board!) For lunch,
a couple of ounces of lean steak, a few tablespoons of risotto, and a big
serving of last night's green beans with sesame seeds. I don't know yet what
I'll be having for dinner, but you can be sure it won't be any of that dirty
street food!
If you are struggling, if you find you are chasing the wagon, please don't
give up, don't give in. We are all waiting for you on the wagon, there is
plenty of room! Grab the outstretched hand of a buddy and come along for the
fabulous ride!